Universal Screener and Diagnostic Assessment

Universal screening assessments will be administered to all students at least three times during the year to provide an especially critical “first look” at individual students. State statute requires that the Mississippi Department of Education “shall select early literacy and numeracy screening assessment instrument or instruments to be used throughout the state in the screening of students in Kindergarten through Grade 3” (Mississippi Code § 37-23-16; Mississippi Code § 37-177-5). The Mississippi Department of Education, in collaboration with Mississippi Reading Panel, has established an approved list of reading screeners to be used by local school districts in grades K-3.

The following screeners are approved for use in Mississippi schools:

• FAST: Adaptive Reading, CBMReading, and earlyReading English (suite of three administered together) (Grades K-12)
• i-Ready (Grades K-12)
• Istation Indicators of Progress (ISIP) (Grades K-5)
• mCLASS Reading 3D (Grades K-3)
• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth (Grades K-2), MAP (Grades 2-10)
• STAR Early Literacy (Grades PK-3), STAR Reading (Grades 1-12)

All districts are required to complete the District Notification and Grant Application located to the right.

Diagnostic Assessments should be administered to students who fail the screening assessment. Diagnostic assessments provide in-depth information about individual student’s particular strengths and needs for Tier 2 supplemental instruction and/or Tier 3 intensive intervention.